I don't think this got posted, but at the SEMA exhibition this year (October 30 to Novemebr 2, 2007) the JT pickup truck once again was there. There are a few changes since we last saw this little beast (spare tire mounted to the tail gate, and a side rail system for a cover over the pickup bed). It still has that interesting color though.

TruckTrend has some pictures and a video on the JT from the SEMA show.

There is still no official word that Jeep will build the JT, but having it at SEMA again this year means Jeep is still kicking the tires on this idea. Considering it is likely the Commander and Compass will be dropped in 2009, and since the military version (the J8) comes in a 4-door and pickup style, the possibilities are good. I know I'm saving my pennies for one .

If this thing is really based on the J8 platform, then they should just build the J8 pickup in the US as the JT with an engine swap to meet emissions. If I recall correctly the J8 has a D44 front with JK front suspension, D60 rear with leaf springs and a 2.8 CRD. The 2.8 CRD won’t meet US emissions; but the 3.0 CRD in the WK or the new Cummins 4.2 v6 (2009/2010) which was durability tested in a Durango (with a DOE partnership) would.

•The bed needs to be level with the hood. Fix that, please. PLEASE. The Gladiator had a smoother look because of this.

•Fold down tailgate; no question. How many uses are there for this?? Gives you the bed-extender option... becomes a table or workbench when you need it... allows you to slap the word "JEEP" on it like the Scrambler... there's no downside here...

•Go ahead and put the spare on the back. Heck, sell it with a donut for all I care. The aftermarket will take care of the side mounting... which -in my worthless opinion- is really the only way to go.

•I like the idea of being about to add a seat in the bed. I wonder how fold-down seats for two, each facing each other would work... not unlike the Land Mower Defender. Might not be enough room for that logistically... and might not work within safety regulations, but it's a thought. It would allow for seating 6.

•ORT badges... to me, this is noteworthy. A really good idea they've been kicking around (ORT) on a really good vehicle idea they've been kicking around (Wrangler-based pickup). It could mean nothing whatsoever, but I would interpret it as a sign that both are being taken very seriously and might become a reality very soon.

I still want a Gladiator, but they could build a JT off the Wrangler platform and perhaps a larger version of the Gladiator (with the same look) off of another platform (future GC, perhaps?)

I like the looks of it on the side, but I'm sure JEEP engineers could rattle off a half-dozen reasons why they're hamstrung on placing it there (side impact? excessive sway/air resistance at highway speeds? lots of body damage if you brush it against something? I dunno...)

If they stick it under the bed, of course they have to be careful of limiting ground clearance. If they stick it in the bed, that robs what limited space you have. So, I'm guessing they'd choose to keep it as a swingout with a drop down tailgate (like the CJ-7's...) That way, if you switch to 35's or 37's, you can STILL mount an oversized spare tire on the swingout without an issue. And there's some nice gnarly swingouts already on the aftermarket that they can errrr, ummm, do design studies on.

One drawback, though, in order to use any cargo cage/bed fold out /slide out extension, that whole swingout would then have to be removable... which seems like a reasonable compromise.

No doubt the aftermarket would sell a mounting kit for relocating it to the side... which is the way coolest look.

I hope the JEEP guys are paying close attention as to how much BUZZ the JT gets everytime it appears at an auto show or is a blog topic.

Unfortunately on the JT there's just no room to mount the spare under the bed in it's current design. The Gladiator probably has room to mount it under the body somewhere, but not on the JT, at least not in it's current design (ie: pick-up conversion on a regular JK Unlimited chassis).

The JT is a different vehicle than the Gladiator, just as the JK is different from the TJ.I too would like to see the bed just a smidge higher. A bed extender will be be neccessary to be practical for weekend trips to the Hardware Warehouse, and a plow package would make it a quick uptake for those "Hard to Reach" places in the snow-belt.I think it's a great start, but I hope they dit the "i"s and cross the "t"s the hood mounted side scoop is just dorkey and disfunctional. The air intake for all JK's should be moved to the firewall grille vent, so we can see when the water is getting in there.

They need to raise the bed rails about 3 or 4 inches and make them even with the hood to give it a balanced look. Although I like the Gladiator better and think that it would be a better seller, I would compromise and purchase this if it were offered with a diesel and 6 speed manual and not over about $25K.

I should have posted this a couple weeks ago but I have seen one running around metro detroit. Im a suburban cop and while on a traffic stop i saw one of these pass by me heading south on 275. if I recall the color was black. really caught my eye and certainly not something i expected to see. was roaming around sometime around 8pm.